ITIA - Legal Interpreting seminar

The next ITIA CPD event, which takes place on October 11 at the Irish Writers' Centre, Parnell Square, Dublin 1, involves two workshops, which will be delivered by Prof. Leo Hickey*


Legal Interpreting: 10.30 am to 12 pm

The 90-minute workshop on Legal Interpreting will be part interactive, part scenario-based, discussing five main points:

1) The crucial difference between being 'wrong' (never) and not being 'right' (frequently)
2) Letting someone know they have said or done anything 'wrong'
3) Explaining and asking for explanations
4) An interpreter only hears words, never sees the realities: so, guess or panic?
5) If anyone speaks, the interpreter speaks, even if only to utter nonsense


Legal Translation: 2 pm to 3.30 pm

The 90-minute workshop on Legal Translation will be mainly text-based. Looking at documents, such as a Witness Statement, a Letter of Request or an Act of Parliament, points like the following will be discussed:

1) Dealing with clients
2) Non-coincidence of terms, concepts and realities in the SL and TL systems
3) Cherishing ambiguities
4) Use of expert informants
5) Whether a translation should look like an original.


*Leo Hickey

Leo Hickey took a BA in French and Spanish, an MA in Spanish and an LLB in Law from UCD before being called to the Bar (King's Inn), then going to the Universidad Complutense, Madrid, from which he is Licenciado en Filosofía y Letras in English and Doctor en Filosofía y Letras in Spanish. He has the Diploma in Public Service Interpreting from the Institute of Linguists, London, and is on the National Register of Public Service Interpreters.

Between 1966 and 2002 he was Lecturer, Senior Lecturer, Reader and Professor of Spanish at the University of Salford, England. He is the author of over 100 academic publications (about 17 of them on translation/interpreting), always combining his academic work with the practice of translating and interpreting and doing exclusively legal work since 2002.


Cost: ITIA members €15; non-members €30. To book a place, please email: admin.itia@gmail.com.